


It's Not a Race

by littlervoice



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, Competition, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 15:08:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3415310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlervoice/pseuds/littlervoice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Niall accidentally have a race to their next class.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Not a Race

**Author's Note:**

> Not really sure what this is really, just a quick drabble inspired by the following prompt I saw on tumblr:
> 
> We started racing up the three flights of stairs to class for some reason and we can’t stop

Harry’s not happy when he sees the sign taped to the elevator door informing him that it’s broken down. His next class is on the fourth floor. _Great._ Not only has he already had to traipse all over campus today for his earlier classes, he now has to climb four sets of stairs. Sighing, he heads over to the stairwell and starts his ascent. He makes it about 6 steps before he gets stuck behind somebody. As Harry looks up he realises it’s one of the guys from his class – Niall Horan, if he remembers correctly.

He does remember correctly. Harry _definitely_ knows who Niall is.

Niall is the only other person in the class who tries, and is Harry’s only real competition for becoming top of the class. Thing is, Niall is ridiculously good at everything. He always knows the answers, always manages to raise his hand a fraction of a second before Harry, always beating Harry in some kind of way.

_Well, not today_ Harry thinks. He picks his pace back up and makes a quick detour around Niall, claiming his place in front of the boy. Harry smiles to himself. It’s only a small victory, but it’s still a victory nonetheless.

However when Harry rounds the corner towards the second flight of stairs, he feels Niall brush past him. _Calm down, Usain Bolt, it’s not a race_ Harry scowls, yet for some reason he finds himself taking the stairs two at a time in order to catch up. As he reaches Niall’s side he looks over at his face. It’s a picture of determination, his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth ever so slightly. Niall looks back at Harry and raises an eyebrow, as if challenging him.

_Oh it’s on_ Harry decides, and starts taking the stairs three at a time. He knows he must look an absolute fool, but he doesn’t care. His legs are a lot longer than Niall’s so he’s going to use them to his advantage. He _has_ to beat Niall just this once. 

By the time they reach the third staircase Niall has broken into a light jog, swiftly dodging around the other people using the stairs with an air of elegance which Harry thinks isn’t fair. All Harry seems to do is bump into literally everybody. He knows how annoying he must be, but he can’t stop now. Not when they’re so close to the classroom.

As they approach the final set of steps, both boys break into an all-out sprint. Niall has the speed advantage, but Harry is able to take the stairs two at a time with ease. He feels himself starting to pull ahead of Niall and _holy crap, he might actually have a chance of winning this_ – until he bumps straight into a young girl and knocks the stack of papers right out of her hand. Sheets of paper fly everywhere, and Harry is torn between stopping to help the girl, and continuing the race he was sure he was going to win. In the end his manners win out, and as he bends down to collect the spilled papers he sees Niall pass him by.

Once he’s satisfied the girl has all her papers he trudges up the remaining stairs, readying himself for whatever gloating Niall would be doing when he reached the top.

“Better luck next time, Styles,” Niall says with a smug grin on his face.

“It wasn’t a fair race!” Harry can’t help himself.

“No?”

“No.”

“Well we can always have a rematch if it’s that important to ya,” Niall suggests in a teasing tone.

Harry can’t tell if he’s being serious or not. He decides he is.

“Fine. Tomorrow morning before class.”

“Great. I’ll be here,” Niall responds, clearly enjoying how worked up Harry is over the whole thing.

“Great,” Harry says, and with that he stalks past Niall into the classroom.

And if the next morning Harry donned his running shoes and told his roommate he was going for a run, well, he wasn’t technically lying, was he?

**Author's Note:**

> littlervoice.tumblr.com


End file.
